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Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan Executive Summary...............................................1I. Plan Background, Purposes, and Principles.....................................................................................................1

Introduction to Living with Wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains..............................................................1What is a CWPP?...............................................................................................................................................1Fire Safe Objectives...........................................................................................................................................2

Minimize fire ignitions...............................................................................................................................................2Decrease the intensity of wildfires, especially around structures...............................................................................2Decrease the damage from wildfires...........................................................................................................................2Increase the fire “permeability” of the landscape, acknowledging that wildfire will continue to occur here and that minimal damage can be left in its wake......................................................................................................................2To increase wildfire resiliency, enabling both the community and environment to rebound quickly after a wildfire......................................................................................................................................................................................3

Conservation Principles for Community Wildfire Protection............................................................................3II. The CWPP Planning Area..............................................................................................................................4III. Bringing Residents Together to Create This Plan.........................................................................................5IV. The Santa Monica Mountains’ Wildfire Environment.................................................................................6

Geography..........................................................................................................................................................6Weather..............................................................................................................................................................6The Legacy of Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains..........................................................................................7Vegetation and Fuels..........................................................................................................................................8Conservation of California Oaks........................................................................................................................9

V. Santa Monica Mountains Communities at Risk.............................................................................................9Communities at Risk [[could cut this section]]..................................................................................................9Fire Protection Agencies..................................................................................................................................10Assets at Risk from Wildfire............................................................................................................................10Conflicts Between Natural Assets and Human Occupation.............................................................................11Risk Assessment...............................................................................................................................................12

VI. Fire Safety Begins at Home........................................................................................................................17Reducing Fuels.................................................................................................................................................17“Hardening” Homes.........................................................................................................................................18

VII. Taking Action in the Santa Monica Mountains to Coexist with Wildfire.................................................20Educate And Assist Homeowners To Reduce Urban Fuels And Improve Building Resistance To Wildfire. 20Reduce The Risk Of Wildfire...........................................................................................................................21Enhance Fire Protection...................................................................................................................................21Develop Evacuation Plans................................................................................................................................22Promote General Fire-Safe Education..............................................................................................................23Integrate Fire Safety And Wildlands Conservation Efforts.............................................................................23Assess Risks At The Local Level.....................................................................................................................23Working Together............................................................................................................................................24Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Action Plan...........................................................................24

VIII. Facilitating Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safety in the Long Term.......................................................29IX. Organization of the CWPP..........................................................................................................................29

Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Executive Summary


Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan Executive Summary

I. Plan Background, Purposes, and Principles

Introduction to Living with Wildfire in the Santa Monica MountainsThe increasing incidence of wildfire, with its potentially disastrous consequences, has brought fire safety

concerns to the attention of residents of southern California and particularly the Santa Monica Mountains region. Living with wildfire in a dry and often remote environment demands awareness, cooperation with neighbors and emergency response personnel, and compliance with building codes and other regulations, guided by a willingness to self-educate on this issue in advance of disaster. In this way it’s possible to contribute to making your immediate environment and neighborhood safer and better prepared for the very real possibility of wildfire. Taking the time to read this Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and think ahead in relation to one’s own situation may motivate small but critical acts that “save the day” on that fateful day.

Recent history in southern California shows a direct correlation: the more people, the more wildfires. As housing developments and other human activity (both commercial and recreational) expand into formerly wild areas, they push the boundary of that critical zone where structures of value meet large tracts of mostly undeveloped land, both open (grassland or chaparral) and forested. Not only can fires from these wild areas advance on established neighborhoods, but more commonly, human activities and infrastructure (vehicles, power tools, electrical lines, to name a few) in this so-called “wildland-urban interface” zone can start a fire that spreads quickly into forests, fields, or open areas, encompassing both nearby structures and many acres of adjacent wildland. Throw in the wrong season and some adverse winds—it’s a conflagration. Readers of this plan have seen the stories and possibly been part of such a fire incident.

The Santa Monica Mountains is a desirable place to live and recreate. It is also a high fire-hazard area for reasons of climate/weather, topography, and sheer numbers of people on the edges and in the twisting canyons of this mountainous region by the sea. Since large, destructive wildfires will continue to occur here, this Community Wildfire Protection Plan aims to provide tools to reduce the negative impacts of these fires, primarily through proactive community planning, preparation of homes to reduce the probability of them catching fire, and focused hazardous fuel reduction around structures.

While this document is mainly addressed to an audience of area residents, the information it contains will be useful in planning by local agencies and other stakeholder groups, and as a basis for applying for federal and other grant funding targeted for fire safety and prevention.

Sponsored by the Malibu West Fire Safe and Sustainability Council, the Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan or CWPP represents the collective knowledge, work, and community effort of many individuals and organizations. Registered Professional Forester Tracy Katelman of ForEverGreen Forestry was hired to organize joint efforts to create this CWPP.

What is a CWPP?A Community Wildfire Protection Plan is a component of federally identified processes to address wildfire

hazards and reduce risk. It is a local plan led by residents to identify what they can do to prepare their communities for wildfire. This CWPP has been developed for the Santa Monica Mountains region to help identify such hazards, as well as to provide information and tools that residents and agencies can use to reduce the frequency of catastrophic wildfire, protect vital community assets, and live in balance with the land.

A collaborative effort involving many different groups and the area residents, this plan for neighborhoods of the Santa Monica Mountains is intended to be a guiding document for future actions of private landowners, local Fire Safe Councils, land management agencies, and emergency service providers wanting to take proactive steps to minimize risks and protect local communities.

Specifically, this CWPP will: Provide direction to create safer human communities and protect natural areas by involving and educating

stakeholders, sharing information, and mapping and prioritizing community wildfire safety needs.

Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Executive Summary Page 1

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Identify best management practices (BMPs) to minimize wildfire risks in the wildland-urban interface (WUI),

while improving stewardship of the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem. These BMPs are designed to prevent structure loss and create defensible space (appropriately cleared areas around structures) while protecting the environmental integrity of the Santa Monica Mountains wildlands. Referred to throughout this CWPP, the “wildland-urban interface” is a general term for the area where homes and wildland meet. It has a definition in the Federal Register as the “line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuel.”1

Identify priority projects to reduce risks and hazards from wildfire while protecting conservation values in the Santa Monica Mountains. These begin by reducing hazardous fuels starting “from the house out.” These actions include improving structural integrity, private landscaping, and open spaces adjacent to communities in order to provide or increase safety and defensible space for homes, communities, and firefighters.

Provide community priorities for conservation-based fuel reduction on public lands, as well as community guidance for public land management within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Help coordinate fire protection strategies across property boundaries, including wildfire preparation and wildfire evacuation planning.

Meet community collaboration requirements under the National Fire Plan and other government funding sources, in order to qualify for public funds allocated to this purpose.

Fire Safe Objectives This plan was developed as a result of concerns about community and firefighter safety, as well as the desire

to protect natural resources and quality-of-life values in the Santa Monica Mountains. The objectives identified in this CWPP are to:

Minimize fire ignitions

Human-caused ignitions, both accidental and arson, account for nearly all the ecological and property damage and loss of life documented in the Santa Monica Mountains. Fire prevention activities are more cost-effective than fire suppression—meaning that it is easier and cheaper to reduce the likelihood of fires starting in the first place than to put them out once started.

Decrease the intensity of wildfires, especially around structures

Substantially reducing fire intensity over large portions of the Santa Monica Mountains landscape is not possible. However, reducing fire intensity in the immediate vicinity of homes and other potentially flammable assets is a practical approach to protecting them during wildfires. Working “from the house out” is a rule of thumb for focusing fire safety efforts: clean up vegetation and clutter, and build or retrofit with fire-safe building materials. Reduce vegetation in outer zones as a lower priority.

Decrease the damage from wildfires

Property loss in southern California wildfires has increased steadily over time as more and more valuable homes are built in harm's way. Taking steps to reduce structural ignitability as described in Chapter 4 can decrease this damage. Too much fire damages native ecosystems in addition to destroying property and threatening lives.

Increase the fire “permeability” of the landscape, acknowledging that wildfire will continue to occur here and that minimal damage can be left in its wake.

The concept of permeability means that a fire can spread through (permeate) a community with minimal negative impact. The ideal situation would be one where all structures could be prepared to withstand a wildfire—i.e., “hardened” (less vulnerable) homes and effective defensible space—and all people living there could safely evacuate, shelter in place, or quickly go to a nearby safe area.

1 Federal Register (January 4, 2001), “Implementation Direction for Identifying and Prioritizing Hazardous Fuel Reduction in Wildland-Urban Interface/Intermix.” Region 5. Vol. 66, No. 3: pp. 751–754.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONTo increase wildfire resiliency, enabling both the community and environment to rebound quickly after a wildfire.

An important objective is to enhance recovery after a wildfire burns through a community and/or natural area. Less frequent fire is important for native ecosystems to survive. Preparation for wildfires is important for human communities to survive without extensive damage. All of these recommended actions help confer greater resiliency against fire and other disasters.

All of these objectives for fire safety drove development of the risk assessment and action plan for Santa Monica Mountains neighborhoods.

Conservation Principles for Community Wildfire Protection Living within or near the wildlands of the Santa Monica Mountains carries a responsibility. To conserve an

attractive way of life, people need to be good stewards of the land, learning to live in balance with the natural world, of which fire is an inevitable part.

Central questions to this plan are how human communities can live safely in an area with severe wildfire, what actions can bring them closer to this goal, and what precautions must be taken to ensure that fire-safety measures preserve the ecological integrity and values associated with the naturally wild areas of the Santa Monica Mountains. Thus conservation of natural resources is given high consideration in all actions contemplated by this CWPP.

This document is based on the following Conservation Principles. 1. Remember the Vegetation

a. Observe and monitor your vegetation’s dynamic changes. b. Act conservatively. c. Protect native species that share your home. d. Keep the oldest and biggest native trees.

2. Remember the Wildlife a. Provide local wildlife with a place to live. b. Provide access to food and water. c. Protect future generations of wildlife. d. Value the standing dead trees. e. Conserve rare and endangered species.

3. Remember the Soil a. Maintain the life in your soil. b. Ensure that your soil cover is fire safe. c. Minimize erosion. d. Protect your soil after a fire.

4. Remember the People a. Plan your actions with your neighbors. b. Find experienced workers and treat them well. c. Work with your local fire department.

For a complete description of the Conservation Principles, see Chapter 1, Section 1.8. In regard to #2 above, the Santa Monica Mountains provide habitat for at least 57 rare or endangered plants

and animals, plus hundreds of vertebrates, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, and thousands of native plants. Wildfires and fire management (use of prescribed fire, fuel treatments, or fire-suppression activities) affect wildlife and native vegetation in many ways. Consideration of species’ habitat needs is an important part of fire planning: think about and avoid potential fragmentation of habitat2 while ensuring food availability, denning habitat, security, and movement ability. For plants, try to ensure the continuation of native species and minimize conditions that allow invasive weeds to flourish. (Many of the latter are highly flammable.) Incorporate these Conservation Principles in your approach to fire safety and survivable space. They are especially important if you

2 This refers to discontinuity in an organism’s preferred environment, such as interruption of usual movement or migration patterns, or breaking up (via roads and human development) of formerly intact chunks of suitable wild territory.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONare required to do any fuel modification in native vegetation. See Chapters 4 and 5 for recommended Best Management Practices for reducing hazardous fuels around homes that are consistent with these general conservation principles.

II. The CWPP Planning Area

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) covers approximately 129,000 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California. Bordered in part by the Pacific Ocean, the area spans two counties, encompassing the lands from about 10 miles east of Oxnard in Ventura County to the Los Angeles city line in Los Angeles County. The CWPP Planning Area is roughly congruent to, though not as extensive as, the boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. (SMMNRA is the corresponding long acronym used in this document.)

This CWPP focuses on approximately 84%3 of the SMMNRA, in what is referred to throughout these pages as the “Planning Area” or the “Santa Monica Mountains (SMM).” At roughly 154,000 acres, the SMMNRA completely encompasses the CWPP Planning Area (and extends beyond to east of Topanga Canyon and north of Liberty Canyon across Highway 101). Most of the SMMNRA lies in Los Angeles County, while about one third of the western section extends into Ventura County. Despite the existence of urban pockets in this region, the SMMNRA is 90% undeveloped.4 The Santa Monica Mountains region was federally designated in 1978 as a National Recreation Area, becoming one of the largest urban recreation areas in the world.5 Administered by the National Park Service, which manages approximately 20% of the land, the SMMNRA is nationally significant for encompassing the greatest expanse of mainland Mediterranean-type ecosystem in the US National Park System (exhibiting one of the world’s rarest and most endangered ecosystems), as well as for having more than 1500 archeological sites within its boundaries.6 It is the largest and most heavily visited urban recreation area in the US.7

The purpose of the National Recreational Area designation is to “preserve the scenic, natural and historic, as well as public health values of the Santa Monica Mountains.”8 This CWPP aims to do the same. The mix of public and private land extending from the beaches through the rugged Santa Monica Mountains is characterized by the extensive presence of wildland-urban interface areas, where developed lands intersect with undeveloped natural wildlands, and wildfire ignitions are frequent.

More than 70 government and municipal entities (federal, state, local, private, and nonprofit groups) share jurisdiction in and collaborative management of the extensive public lands within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.9 Each has different mandates, areas of focus, and degrees of regulatory authority. This creates a challenge for coordinating policies and actions across the CWPP Planning Area. Understanding this jurisdictional setting is essential to manifesting an effective CWPP. A core tenet of the National Recreation Area designation is partnership between federal/state agencies and private landowners. A large portion of the Planning Area (54%10) is privately owned. Major participating agencies and organizations include the following:

Los Angeles and Ventura counties the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, and Malibu State of California Department of Parks and Recreation Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

3 G. Elwood, National Park Service, CWPP Planning Units v4, October 2009.4 National Park Service (2002), General Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Volume 1, p. 3.5 NPS (2002), General Management Plan and Final EIS, SMMNRA, Volume 1, p. 3.6 NPS (2002), General Management Plan and Final EIS, SMMNRA, Volume 1, pp. 34–35.7 http://samofund.org/About/about.htm 8 NPS (2002), General Management Plan and Final EIS, SMMNRA, Volume 1, p. 34.9 NPS (2002), General Management Plan and Final EIS, SMMNRA, Volume 2, p. 443.10 R. Taylor, National Park Service, Public Land Management Agencies, March 2010.


http://samofund.org/About/about.htm

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority National Park Service The Mountains Restoration Trust and several other nonprofit land conservancies who manage land in the

CWPP Planning Area. Parklands and natural areas include national, state, and county parks as well as beaches, municipal parks, and

privately managed recreation sites.11 A total of 69,099 acres of parkland are encompassed by the SMMNRA.12 It is popular for hiking, horseback riding, birding, camping, and more. For further details of recreational uses see Chapter 6, section 6.2, “Public Lands.”

III. Bringing Residents Together to Create This Plan

The CWPP Planning Area was designed to encompass the human populations surrounding the mountains’ wildland core and thus includes urban areas as well as outlying rural neighborhoods. These inhabited areas were grouped to form twenty Planning Units within the larger CWPP Planning Area. Local meetings and action plans have been organized around the Planning Unit structure, in part to maximize community input. Planning Units were created by considering existing population centers, governance jurisdictions, access routes, fire history, watersheds, and other geographical boundaries.

Chapter 2 provides general information about the Planning Units and an overall map of the CWPP Planning Area. The individual Community Fire Safety Action Plans, in Part II of this document, contain detailed descriptions of each Planning Unit. The resulting Community Fire Safety Action Plans contain the data and more detailed maps gathered from community meetings, summarize pertinent issues in each unit, and list priority actions for community implementation.

A community-intensive process was used in development of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan to ensure maximum resident and stakeholder input, and to take advantage of opportunities for public education and participation. The core of this process was a series of twenty public meetings, one in each Planning Unit, held between October 2009 and January 2010. About 250 people in total attended one or more of these meetings.

Social networking tools such as Facebook, a website, and an email list were also used to share information about the CWPP and fire safety in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Subsequent to the meetings that generated local data, there were several opportunities for public input to this document. A Community Review Committee (CRC) was created for any Santa Monica Mountains resident who wanted to further participate in the process. Participants were identified from all Planning Units.

A parallel group of Internal Reviewers was chosen to represent the various stakeholder groups in the Planning Area, including government, fire agencies, Fire Safe Councils, homeowners’ associations, state and federal land management agencies, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations. For a list of CRC and Internal Reviewers, please see Appendix D: Community Review Committee and Internal Reviewers.

Both groups provided initial review of draft CWPP documents between January and May 2010. Following incorporation of those comments, a public draft was released in July 2010. [[How shall we address how/when the final will be available?]]

IV. The Santa Monica Mountains’ Wildfire Environment

Geography The topography of the Santa Monica Mountains consists of alternating steep canyons and ridges, forming an

overall rugged terrain, extending from sea level to a maximum elevation of 3,111 feet, with an average elevation of around 1,000 feet. Most of the region is rural and unincorporated, particularly the western part of the mountain range in Ventura County (with the exception of the affluent Hidden Valley and Lake Sherwood areas). Further

11For a complete list of parks in the SMM, see www.lamountains.com/searchresults.asp?regionid=3.12 NPS (2002), General Management Plan and Final EIS, SMMNRA, Volume 1, p. 19.


http://www.lamountains.com/searchresults.asp?regionid=3

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONeast in Los Angeles County are more concentrated urban populations, including the CWPP Planning Area’s two incorporated cities, Malibu and Calabasas.

Certain kinds of terrain are notoriously dangerous when wildfires come and are recognized by wildland firefighters as “Watch Out” situations. Steep slopes, saddles and passes, box canyons, narrow canyons, and chimneys are all examples of fire-hazardous terrain, and they are common features of the Santa Monica Mountains. Fire spreads most rapidly where strong winds blow (e.g. saddles, passes, and ridge-tops) and where slopes are steep. Steep terrain also tends to limit movement of people trying to fight fire or escape from it. Canyons and chimneys often channel winds and create situations where slopes and winds are in alignment. This can result in long flame lengths and very rapid fire spread. When fire burns up steep slopes, flames and convection columns often lie closer to the ground. This tends to pre-heat fuels ahead of the flaming front, which increases fire intensity and rates of spread. The Santa Ana winds so prevalent in the SMM region and the fire-conducive terrain are a potent combination for out-of-control wildfire, as has been seen here frequently.

Weather Climate and local weather patterns largely determine the fire ecology of the Santa Monica Mountains. The

region’s Mediterranean climate is defined by mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Average precipitation is approximately 15 inches, with wide annual variation of rainfall from 6 to 43 inches recorded from 1948 to 2001.13 The majority of precipitation is delivered in numerous multi-day deluges November through April. In comparison to inland areas, coastal Mediterranean systems exhibit a more moderate climate that does not commonly reach freezing temperatures in winter or sustain such high summer temperatures. Coastal areas are also characterized by more frequent morning fog than are inland areas,14 usually resulting in denser vegetation cover and heavier fuel loads than found inland. There is sufficient rain to support substantial vegetation growth throughout the region, and the Santa Monica Mountains area also experiences an annual six- to eight-month dry season that allows this vegetation (i.e., wildland fuels) to become very dry every summer or fall.

Santa Ana winds coming at the end of the dry season create some of the most extreme fire weather in the world. These winds are very dry, warm, and fast-moving, originating from a high-pressure system in the Great Basin desert and flowing westward toward a low-pressure zone in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.15 Santa Ana winds are present nearly year round but occur with the greatest frequency from September to December. When Santa Ana winds coincide with an out-of-control fire situation (e.g. ignitions), extreme wildfires routinely occur. Because they are highly resistant to suppression efforts, such a rapidly moving, weather-driven wildfire can spread before a break or shift in the weather allows firefighters to effectively control it. Large Santa Ana wind-driven fires can occur in the fall of drought and non-drought years alike. Wildfires occur in approximately equal number in summer and fall, but almost 90% of the total area burned in all recorded wildfires here happens in late fall when Santa Ana winds are blowing.16

Interestingly, fire records dating back to 1919 show that lightning storms as a source of wildfire ignitions are relatively rare in coastal southern California and the Santa Monica Mountains, as lightning tends to coincide with wet winter and spring conditions.17 Coastal areas receive less total lightning than do inland areas. It has been estimated that, on average, only 3–5% of all lightning strikes in a year result in wildfires in southern California Mediterranean-climate systems. This points to human sources for most wildfire ignitions.

The Legacy of Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains It appears that large wildfires were relatively infrequent (one to two per century) before the arrival of Native

Americans in the region, as fires were dependent on a rare overlap of natural lightning ignitions and Santa Ana 13 National Park Service (2007), Fire Management Plan, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, pp. 31–32. 14 National Park Service (2005), Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Fire Management Plan, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, p. 3–10.15 NPS (2005), Final EIS for a Fire Management Plan, SMMNRA, p. 3–9.16 NPS (2005), Final EIS for a Fire Management Plan, SMMNRA, p. 3–13.17 J.E. Keeley (2006), “South Coast Bioregion.” In: N.G. Sugihara, J.W. van Wagtendonk, K.E. Shaffer, J. Fites-Kaufman, and A.E. Thoede (eds.), Fire in California’s Ecosystems (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press), p. 352.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONwinds, or very large fires blowing down from higher mountains to the east where lightning is more common. The association of warm, dry Santa Ana winds and destructive wildfire in the SMM dates back as far as our local record-keeping and likely much longer. Yet even these big fires were not nearly as frequent or cumulatively destructive as today’s multiple fire events.

The Santa Monica Mountains were historically inhabited by the Chumash and Gabrielino/Tongva Native American groups, evidenced by more than 1500 archeological sites dating back to 5000 BC.18 Native Americans used fire as a management tool to keep areas open, increase the productivity of useful plants, improve forage for animals such as deer and elk, and to favor clearings around oak groves, but we do not know how extensive this practice was. It was likely primarily near their villages and foraging grounds, not in remote mountain canyons. Indigenous fire use had the greatest impact on lower-elevation areas, in grasslands, and in oak savannahs. Early residents had no economic incentive to convert chaparral, which they also relied upon for fuel, food, medicine, and game.

European settlement of the southern California coast began in the late 18th century, bringing a number of changes to the area’s fire ecology. Primary among these were changes induced directly and indirectly by intensive stock grazing. Chaparral and sage scrub vegetation was cleared in order to increase grass forage and to facilitate animal movement, primarily by setting uncontrolled wildfires. These practices contributed to some of the region’s largest mega-fires, ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of acres in size.19 Burning was combined with the introduction of what would prove to be invasive exotic grasses and herbs to provide cattle forage. Invasion of native shrublands by exotic annual grasses over the last 150 years has become a serious resource management problem affecting millions of acres of the western US. It is an ongoing problem in the Santa Monica Mountains.

During the 1920s, developers and individuals began turning toward the Santa Monica Mountains in search of building alternatives to the increasingly populated downtown areas of Los Angeles and Hollywood.20 There was a significant spike in the area’s development between 1970 and 1990, as the suburban sector along the border of the SMMNRA grew at four times the rate of development in the rest of Los Angeles County. This increased human presence is escalating the frequency of wildfire in the area.

In addition to the hazard that increased wildfire has posed to human communities, there have also been significant negative ecological impacts to the flora and fauna of the Santa Monica Mountains. Among these impacts has been a reduction in the area of mature chaparral vegetation and the conversion of large areas of chaparral and sage scrub habitat to fire-prone annual grasslands dominated by exotic species, which are now far more widespread than native grasslands. (“Exotic” here refers to plants introduced in relatively recent decades, particularly invasive ones that prosper in their new locale, often at the expense of native plants.) Although many plant species in the region are adapted to high-severity fires, increased fire frequency has led to a reduction in long-lived species that require fire-free periods of several decades. It also has depleted soil seed banks in some cases, reducing the diversity or rapidity of post-fire recolonization. Alternatively, repeated fires in short succession that do not allow for sufficient fuel accumulation to produce an intense fire can fail to scarify seeds in soil banks and therefore result in low post-fire seed germination.21 In this manner, significant portions of the SMM have been converted from native vegetation types (mainly the chaparral) to heavily disturbed and weed-infested vegetation types22 because today’s artificially high recurrence of fire unfortunately favors expansion of exotic species. Appropriate fuel treatments for these invasive plants are discussed in Chapters 4 and 5.

Most of the grassland area in the SMM has been heavily disturbed, often to the point of being type-converted from native chaparral or sage scrub vegetation to grasslands dominated by non-native species. “Type conversion” refers to the long-term shifting of one vegetation type to another by some form of disturbance. Most large, relatively level areas were converted to severely grazed rangeland and dryland farming over the last century. In the rugged mountains, type conversion of shrubland plant communities is primarily caused by repeated burns in

18 NPS (2005), Final EIS for a Fire Management Plan, SMMNRA, Chapter 3, p. 3. 19 NPS (2005). 20 J.D. Clark De Blasio (2007), Defensible Space: Environmental Implications of Fire Clearance Regulations in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, pp. 21-22. 21 R. Halsey, personal communication, January 2010. 22 R. Halsey, January 2010.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONshort succession in the same general area, thereby preventing successful re-establishment of perennial native shrub communities.

Current patterns of wildfire activity in the Santa Monica Mountains show a trend of increased annual area burned, resulting from dramatic increases in the number of human-caused ignitions, particularly those coinciding with the Santa Ana winds. The increase in wildfire activity is particularly pronounced for coastal systems, which historically burned infrequently.

See Chapter 3 for more details on fire history in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Vegetation and Fuels In the Santa Monica Mountains, “Mediterranean Chaparral” is the predominant ecosystem type, known for

extensive biological diversity and a limited worldwide geographic distribution. Chaparral vegetation is generally very dense and produces high-intensity fires. Most chaparral species are able to survive and/or soon recolonize an area following wildfire, if the fires are not too frequent. Many distinct plant strategies exist to accomplish this fire tolerance, such as sprouting from the underground rootstock, the stimulation of seed germination by fire (heat), vegetative dormancy during high fire season, and thick protective bark (such as that of some oak species).

In this regard, most of the vegetation types of the Santa Monica Mountains can be considered fire-adapted systems. However, although many local species are fire-adapted, they are not necessarily fire-dependent. This is to say that although many species have traits that help them to survive or otherwise reduce negative impacts of wildfires (fire-adapted), they are able to exist without the influence of fire (i.e., are not fire-dependent). See Chapter 5 for details on fire-adapted ecosystems and vegetation types of the CWPP Planning Area.

The Santa Monica Mountains are predominantly non-forested, even at higher elevations. In addition to the widespread range of chaparral, local vegetation includes grasslands, coastal sage scrub, riparian woodlands, coastal oak woodlands, and oak savannahs. The volume and distribution of fuels, their moisture content, and the arrangement of these fuels are all factors that can influence fire behavior. It is important to recognize that many human-made sources of fuels also contribute to fire behavior, including homes, fences, decks, landscaped vegetation and planted trees, gardens, and wood piles—these can be referred to as “urban fuels.”

An important overarching point must be made about the role of vegetation in relation to fire behavior and patterns of wildfire in the vegetation types of these mountains. Given that large fires are so strongly associated with Santa Ana winds, annual patterns of wildfire are not as closely correlated with vegetation conditions here as in other parts of the western US, where factors such as fuel composition, vegetation (fuel) age, and elapsed time since the last fire (with a fuel build-up over time) play a more significant role in fire behavior. This situation and fuel-treatment rationale do not apply to the mostly shrubland vegetation types of the Santa Monica Mountains, where human activities are mainly responsible for an increase in annual area burned. Therefore fuel management and modification in the Santa Monica Mountains area is most efficient when carefully considered and strategically placed—especially near homes—to have the greatest effect on home protection efforts, as opposed to attempting larger landscape-level fire behavior modifications. See Chapters 4 and 5 for more information and directions for fuel management (reducing and removing easily ignited dead and downed wood and debris).

In many places, but not the Santa Monica Mountains, the application of prescribed fire and mechanical vegetation removal are common forms of fuel reduction. However, because of prescribed fire’s relative ineffectiveness in altering landscape-level fire growth in this region, as well as the potential negative impacts on chaparral and sage scrub of increased annual area burned, prescribed fire is not recommended in this CWPP as a fuel-reduction management tool in the Santa Monica Mountains.23,24 Other fuel treatments, when focused on a smaller scale (near structures) are more effective in reducing fire intensity and structure vulnerability and therefore enable more effective and safer fire-suppression efforts immediately around homes and other buildings. 25

23 Keeley et al. (2004), “Lessons from the October 2003 Wildfires in Southern California,” Journal of Forestry 102 (7): pp. 26–31.24 Keeley et al. (1999), “Reexamining fire suppression impacts on brushland fire regimes,” Science 284 (5421): pp. 1829–1832. 25 Keeley et al. (2004). See note above.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONConservation of California Oaks

Intense urbanization of former valley oak woodlands has caused this vegetation community to be among the most threatened of the Santa Monica Mountains. There is a low occurrence of successful sapling recruitment, making conservation of juvenile valley oak critical. Remaining valley oak savannahs have been greatly altered by grazing, frequent fire, and other forms of human use, which have cumulatively shifted their understory vegetation from perennial bunchgrasses and native forbs to annual grasslands dominated by exotic species.

Although regeneration of coast live oak and walnut woodlands is not as limited as it is for valley oak, both forest types, especially walnut, have a small range within the Santa Monica Mountains and serve as important sources of wildlife habitat and natural fuelbreaks.

Fuel treatments in this vegetation type should occur only within the first 100 feet26 around homes and access roads, or other strategic fire-protection areas (as identified by trained arborists as well as fire agency professionals). Any fuel treatment should be carefully planned and conducted to retain and avoid damage to large trees, especially oaks, while accomplishing the recommended fire hazard reduction measures. A permit is required nearly always in the SMM to cut or trim oaks.

V. Santa Monica Mountains Communities at Risk

The Santa Monica Mountains’ increasing popularity and desirability as a place to live can be attributed to its proximity to the metropolis of Los Angeles and the appealing combination of beaches and mountains. Communities include a mix of historic ranches, decades-old houses on land purchased long before it was prime real estate (the Monte Nido area, for example), and newer upscale houses and gated communities built after more recent population influxes.

Communities at Risk [[could cut this section]]On January 4, 2001, for the purposes of the National Fire Plan, the Department of Interior (DOI) published in

the Federal Register a “Notice of Urban-Wildland Interface Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal Lands That Are at High Risk from Wildfire.”

After the 2000 fire season, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) worked with the California Fire Alliance to develop a list and associated map of Communities at Risk (CAR) from wildfire. Thirteen communities in this CWPP Planning Area are on the CAR list, all of which are in LA County. None of the Ventura County communities in the Planning Area are on the CAR list (though of course fire remains a risk for all of them).27

Existing CARs in the Santa Monica Mountains are: Agoura Hills Calabasas Cornell El Nido Fernwood Glenview Malibu Malibu Bowl Monte Nido Seminole Springs Sylvia Park Topanga Topanga Park

26 Up to 200 feet in special circumstances. 27 Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council (2009), Ventura County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, p. 8.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONMore communities were identified in this CWPP to be added to this list. The California Fire Alliance has a

process for adding new communities to this list, which is found on its website: www.cafirealliance.org/communities_at_risk/communities_at_risk_addtolist.

The proposed CARs in Los Angeles County are: Kanan Las Flores/Rambla Las Virgenes Canyon Corridor Latigo Canyon Lost Hills Malibou Lake Malibou Lakeside Stokes Canyon Sycamore Canyon

In Ventura County: Hidden Valley/Lake Sherwood/Carlisle Canyon Yerba Buena Canyon Area (including Pacific View, Cotharin, Yellow Hill)

Fire Protection AgenciesWildfire suppression in the Santa Monica Mountains is carried out by several agencies, principally the Los

Angeles County Fire Department and the Ventura County Fire Department. Additional wildland fire protection is provided by the National Park Service and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The California Conservation Corps is also used to respond to fires in the region.28

The cities and outlying communities that are within the area contract with the County Fire Departments for fire protection. NPS wildfire resources can respond to any wildfire emergency in the Recreation Area, and the agency is responsible for wildfire on NPS land. The local fire departments have the majority of fire-suppression resources in and near the SMMNRA.

Please refer to Chapter 6 for further information on fire protection.

Assets at Risk from Wildfire Assets (or values) at potential risk from destructive wildfire include qualities or things important to what is

called “quality of life” that can be threatened with degradation, destruction, or loss. Taking stock of community and personal assets is part of a process called “risk assessment” that identifies assets and potential threats to those assets, in this case in the form of wildfire. Such an assessment provides an overview of how to approach and prioritize fire-safety actions. Assets of value in the Santa Monica Mountains include homes, infrastructure, cultural sites, wildlife habitat, natural resources, air quality, recreational facilities and areas, historical structures, and other important attributes that individual communities rely on for their well-being or appreciate in their surroundings. Neither the term “assets” nor a dollar figure fully conveys the community value found in such facets of life. They are the precious and in many ways unquantifiable elements that make up the quilted fabric of community life and our place in the natural world. When an area with a concentration of high-value assets comes into contact with hazardous fuels and a high fire threat, its risk of loss due to wildfire increases.

As part of the scoping and outreach effort of this wildfire protection plan, community meetings were held throughout the Planning Area between October 2009 and January 2010 to identify community assets and discuss wildfire protection efforts. These meetings provided an opportunity for residents to identify locales and structures of value to their community. Some of the key community assets and values identified at these meetings included schools, churches, fire stations, hospitals, senior centers, neighborhoods, commercial districts, golf courses, and campgrounds. Detailed information for assets at risk in each of the twenty Planning Units can be found in Part II of the CWPP, the Community Fire Safety Action Plans.

28 www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25415


http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25415

http://www.cafirealliance.org/communities_at_risk/communities_at_risk_addtolist

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONAt the meetings for this plan, residents identified local community assets that represent essential infrastructure

and/or serve as important community centers. Infrastructure includes all the roads, utilities, water, and all other services provided to the residents of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The primary commercial assets in the Planning Area are located in the incorporated cities, Malibu and Calabasas. Malibu is known for its beaches and coastline, and there is a large amount of tourist-oriented development in the city. Calabasas is the most developed region in the eastern side of the Planning Area, with shopping centers and other typical commercial development. The City of Malibu is also home to Pepperdine University and HRL Laboratories LLC, formerly Hughes Research Laboratories.

There are 29 schools and educational facilities in the CWPP Planning Area, as well as three senior care centers, two urgent-care facilities, and a health center.

Cultural assets, which include prehistoric or archeological resources, historic buildings, and locations of current community importance such as parks, churches, and community centers, are an important part of creating and strengthening a community. Attendees at each Planning Unit meeting identified cultural assets for their communities; these included the Calabasas Agoura Hills Community Center, the Gillette Ranch, and some state parks, to name a few.29

In addition to the archeological sites, there are hundreds of locally important historic sites in the Santa Monica Mountains. These include barns, ranches, homestead sites (nearly 1,300 recorded), and local works of renowned architects. There are only three structures on the National Register of Historic Places (the Adamson House, Looff’s Hippodrome, and Will Rogers’ House), and 15 structures on National Park Service land that are recorded in the SMMNRA’s List of Classified Structures.

A number of natural assets within the Planning Area are susceptible to wildfire, including 450 different species of vertebrates and five distinct vegetation communities. Fire also damages air and water quality. The remnant run of steelhead and lamprey eel in Malibu Creek is an important natural asset and an endangered one. Chemical fire retardants that wash into water drainages negatively affect salmon and other aquatic species. They should be kept out of critical watersheds as much as possible.

Conflicts Between Natural Assets and Human Occupation Public and private development projects in the Santa Monica Mountains are ongoing and increasingly

controversial. There is growing support for limiting human impacts and concern from all sectors: private, public, and local governments. Regulators say that the area is "built out" and the infrastructure cannot handle much more development, yet at any given time there are scores, if not hundreds, of proposed projects on the table.

Human encroachment into highly flammable wildland areas creates a conflict that often threatens life, property, and the natural environment. At the same time, nearly all areas of the Santa Monica Mountains are aesthetically pleasing and provide an atmosphere in which many seek to live. The greatest threat generally occurs where the wildland meets the community—which is common throughout the Planning Area—although wildfire can burn down houses well inside communities, especially in the event of large ember storms.

Habitat loss as a result of human encroachment seems inevitable in the face of continued population growth and development activities. Fire, especially human-induced fire, is extremely dangerous to the remaining natural areas in the SMM. The ability of certain species and natural communities to survive is already compromised by habitat fragmentation and competition for resources. Preventing leap-frog development, minimizing the risk that urban fires will spread to wild areas, and effective fire-fighting efforts will help reduce future impacts to the SMM.

The seemingly conflicting goals of environmental protection and vegetation management for fuels reduction continue to challenge agency managers and policy makers across the state. These concerns have been addressed in some cases with habitat conservation plans, natural community conservation plans, or multi-species conservation plans, which provide an ecosystem approach to environmental protection on a landscape level. These types of plans are an effective way to balance fire protection with environmental standards.30 Wildfires are especially complex to manage due to the cross-jurisdictional nature of the events and the urgency of response efforts. A

29 “Assets identified by community.xls”, Community Meeting records, SMMCWPP planning process.30 Christopher Zimny, California Board of Forestry, personal communication, March 5, 2010.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONnumber of mutual aid agreements and service contracts are in place between the counties, the National Park Service, the cities, and some of the nonprofit groups in the region.

Many of the policies and regulations in existing planning documents, such as those discussed in Chapter 6, are helping to reduce the negative impact of humans on the natural environment. The actions proposed in this document aim to advance those efforts, helping to preserve the natural beauty, ecological function, and overall health of the communities in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Risk AssessmentConsidering assets with risks and hazards allows us to carry out a risk assessment for the Santa Monica

Mountains CWPP Planning Area and then to prioritize fire-safety projects in the most high-risk areas. The risk assessment undertaken for this CWPP was done at a very coarse scale. A more detailed assessment

of risks is needed at the local level. A localized risk assessment for the high-risk communities in the Santa Monica Mountains could include a parcel-level analysis of the following components:

Local building materials, construction, and age of structures Urban fuels and home landscaping Topography Location on the landscape in relation to Santa Ana wind events Community emergency preparedness Evacuation options Wildfire response planning Firefighters’ knowledge of the area Community education and awareness Surrounding wildlands/vegetation Post-fire hazard susceptibility

The following table (from Chapter 7) is the summary of the risk assessment for the Santa Monica Mountains. Each neighborhood or community is listed and a summary of the ranking each received in seven different areas: Assets at Risk, Fuel Hazard, Risk of Wildfire Occurrence, Structural Ignitability, Urban Fuels, Fire-Fighting Capability, and Evacuation Ability. These combine to provide an Overall Risk assessment score between Low and Very High. This risk assessment is used to identify which areas in the Santa Monica Mountains are likely at a greater risk of wildfire, or damage from wildfire. In general, areas with the highest rankings are those where wildfire prevention efforts should be prioritized.

Following are brief explanations of categories in this table.

Community, Structure, or Area at Risk in this table are based on the Planning Units identified for this Community Wildfire Protection Plan, with some break-out of distinct communities within an individual Planning Unit.

Assets at Risk: Given the combination of very high land values and the high-quality, rare Mediterranean ecosystem, the entire Santa Monica Mountains area is given a “high” asset rating. All neighborhoods and population centers are assumed to be equally important local assets and values.

“Fuel hazards” describe the amount of in a given area that could burn during a fire. They are based on fire hazard severity zones as developed by CAL FIRE and described in Chapter 3. The entire Planning Area is designated as “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone,” hence the entire Planning Area was given a “Very High” rating throughout.

Risk of wildfire occurrence refers only to the possibility of a wildfire occurring in the given community. It does not reflect the possibility of a fire starting locally, including one that may simulate wildfire conditions. Based on the extensive fire history of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the short fire-return interval now found throughout the Planning Area, the entire Planning Area was designated “Very High.”


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONStructural ignitibility means the ability of buildings, especially homes, to burn. This information was based

on visual surveys and local information. It is very closely tied to the age of a given development, with newer developments built to the current or recent building codes receiving a “low” designation. Older wooden homes generally have higher structural ignitability than newer homes. These were rated Low, Medium, or High.

The presence of urban fuels in the Santa Monica Mountains is likely one of the most pertinent factors determining whether or not a structure will burn, distinct from the structural ignitability of the house. Therefore this factor was added to this risk assessment. “Urban fuels” in this risk assessment generally refers to ornamental vegetation—mostly non-native species—that are found within the first 30 to 50 feet surrounding a structure, and often directly adjacent to homes.

“Fire-fighting capability” describes the ease with which firefighters can get to a community to fight a fire. It is based principally on how close a fire station is to the community, the ease of access for fire-fighting equipment to be deployed in an area, and the amount and pressure of water available for fire fighting. A high ranking in this category would decrease the overall risk ranking of a community.

Evacuation ability is another critical factor for Santa Monica Mountains residents. There are several neighborhoods where evacuation options could easily be blocked, forcing residents to shelter in place. A high ranking in this category would decrease the overall risk ranking of a community.

The overall risk category is a sum of the above categories and the analysis done for each. A high ranking in each of the categories (except fire-fighting capability and evacuation) leads to a higher overall risk. A higher ranking in the fire-fighting capability and evacuation columns brings the overall risk down.

Chapter 7 details assets at risk and the risk assessment process.



Figure 1. Summary of Assets and Associated Wildfire Risks for Communities in the Santa Monica Mountains31

This table is in approximate order of the CWPP Planning Units, with some neighborhoods given their own assessment due to distinctions between that neighborhood and the rest of the encompassing Planning Unit.

Community, Structure, or Area at Risk

Assets at Risk

Fuel Hazard

Risk of Wildfire

Occurrence

Structural Ignita-bility

Urban Fuels

Fire-Fighting

Capability

EvacuationAbility

Overall Risk Observations

West Beaches High Very High Very High Med Med-High

High High Med-High

Point Dume High Very High Very High Med High High Med-High HighCentral Beaches High Very High Very High Med High High High Med-

HighEast Beaches High Very High Very High Low-

MedMed High High Med-

HighLower Decker – Encinal Canyon

High Very High Very High Med Med-High

High High-Med High-Med

West Malibu High Very High Very High Med Med-High

High

High-Med

Med-High

Hazardous tree/urban fuels removal programs in place in Horizon Hills and Malibu West. Heavier fuels in Bonsall/Zuma Canyon area.

Zumirez Canyon – Puerco Canyon


High High Med

Lower Latigo Canyon – Escondido

High Very High Very High Med-High

High MedMed

High-Very High

Ingress/egress issues for firefighting and evacuation; roads easily blocked.

Ramirez High Very High Very High High-Med

High Med Med-Low Very High

Potential ingress/egress issues for evacuation and fire protection.

Malibu Civic Center High Very High Very High Low-Med

Low High High Med

Cross Creek – Sweetwater Canyon

High Very High Very High Low-Med

Med High High Med-High

Serra Retreat High Very High Very High Low-Med

Med-High

High Med High Heavy eucalyptus fuels along main evacuation route.

31 This table is adapted from Step 5a of the CFA Simplified CWPP Template, p. 5. http://cafirealliance.org/cwpp.


http://cafirealliance.org/cwpp

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONCommunity, Structure,

or Area at RiskAssets at

RiskFuel

Hazard

Risk of Wildfire

Occurrence


Urban Fuels

Fire-Fighting

Capability

EvacuationAbility


Carbon Canyon High Very High Very High High-Med

High Med-High Med High

Lower Las Flores/Las Flores Mesa, Rambla Vista, La Costa


Med HighHigh

Med-High

Big Rock Mesa High Very High Very High Med-High

Med High-Med

Med

High - Med

Lower/eastern development OK. Limited fire-fighting access and heavy fuels near top/western side. Proposed development to west could stress existing evacuation ability.

Peña Canyon – Tuna Canyon

High Very High Very High Med High LowMed

Med-High

Limited fire-fighting access to Peña Canyon. Tuna Canyon homes very remote.

Ventura: Rancho Guadalasca – Yerba Buena Canyon, Deals Flat


Low

Low

High Long distance from fire stations. Heavy fuels in localized areas. Limited cell service in some areas.

Ventura: The Colony High Very High Very High Med-High

High-Med

High-Med High-Med Med-

HighVentura: County Line, Lower Yerba Buena Canyon

High Very High Very High Med Med HighHigh

Med

Sycamore Canyon, Kanan –Upper Latigo Canyon


High MedMed

High – Very High

Upper Decker & Encinal Canyons


Med-High

Med-High Low High Station #72

Corral Canyon High Very High Very High Med Med-High

MedLow

Very High

Evacuation easily blocked on narrow, clogged roads. Limited cell service.

Pepperdine University High Very High Very High Low Low High High Medium


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONCommunity, Structure,

or Area at RiskAssets at

RiskFuel

Hazard

Risk of Wildfire

Occurrence


Urban Fuels

Fire-Fighting

Capability

EvacuationAbility


Las Flores Heights, Upper Rambla Pacifico, Stunt Road


High High-Med Med-Low

Very High - High

Have fire station on site, but potentially challenging evacuation. Gorge Road – heavy fuels and evacuation issues.

Topanga Canyon High Very High Very High High High MedLow

Very High

Ingress/egress easily blocked. Fire station in the middle of PU, but large area to cover.

Las Virgenes Canyon Corridor


High High-Med Med High

Monte Nido High Very High Very High Med-High

Med-High

HighLow

High – Very High

Station #67 Piuma Road. Long-distance evacuation.

Cornell (Careful, Cornell, Lobo Canyon, Malibu Junction, Triunfo Canyon, and Wagon Road)

High Very High Very High Low-Med

Med-High

High

Med-High

Med-High

Several newer developments. Some areas have several evacuation options, others few. Station #65 in Cornell.

Malibou Lake Mountain Club, Malibu Lakeside

High Very High Very High High High Med-High Low-Med High

Seminole Hot Springs High Very High Very High High Med-High

Med Med High

Ventura: Hidden Valley – Lake Sherwood

High Very High Very High Low Low-Med

High High Med-Low

Station #33, Lake Sherwood

Ventura: Carlisle Canyon High Very High Very High High High Med-High Med High Potential road access issues.

Liberty Canyon – Lost Hills

High Very High Very High Med Med HighMed-High

Med-High

Some newer developments, easy highway access, but the only way out.

Calabasas Interface High Very High Very High Low-Med

Med-High

HighHigh

Med-High

Mostly newer developments, nearly all behind locked gates, many homes on ridges above fuels.



VI. Fire Safety Begins at Home

Of all the things a homeowner can do to be ready for wildfire, two of the most critical elements of fire-safe preparations are defensible space within the Home Ignition Zone (see below) and the building materials of the home. Studies done after many large fires continue to conclude that homes built to “ignition-resistant” standards have a much higher fire survival rate than those that don’t. Combining these ignition-resistant features with up to 100 feet of defensible (or “survivable”) space around the building will dramatically improve the likelihood that a structure will still be standing after a wildfire passes by—even if firefighters are unable to stay and actively protect it.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department: “Defensible space is the area around a structure free of flammable plants and objects that

creates a zone in which firefighters can operate safely in order to help protect a home during a wildfire. This space is wide enough to prevent direct flame impingement and reduce the amount of radiant heat reaching the structure. The defensible space for each structure varies, depending on the type of vegetation and topography.”32

Reducing Fuels The creation or augmentation of defensible space mainly involves reducing or eliminating the presence of

combustible material near a structure. These “urban fuels” include flammable landscaping, dead leaves and other vegetation, mulch, woodpiles, lawn furniture, toys, anything flammable stacked against or near a house, and other items potentially vulnerable to fire in the immediate vicinity of a home. The general principle behind making an area “fire safe” (making it as safe as possible for when a fire does pass through) is to reduce the amount of fuel that a fire could consume and to modify its arrangement. Put simply, you do not want anything near your home that could burn and eventually ignite your home.

As fire moves across the landscape it will go wherever there are continuous fuels. If fuels have “horizontal continuity” (they are closely connected or adjacent; called “surface fuels” when on the ground), then fire will spread readily through them even without a wind to push it. If fuels have “vertical continuity” (connected above and/or below; what firefighters call “ladder fuels”), fire can move up from the ground into higher fuels such as tree canopies and rooftops. Modifying fuels to avoid this type of spread is critical to keep in mind in terms of what is surrounding your home. Create physical space between fuel layers whenever possible. The point is that in the event of a wildfire, there will be limited fuels adjacent to a structure to carry the fire to it.

Start your fuel modification closest to your house, removing anything flammable that could eventually transmit fire to your house. From there, “feather” or spread out your treatments as you get further from your home. In most cases, you will only need to treat urban fuels close to your house, and you can leave the native vegetation to provide habitat and all its other ecosystem functions.

Landscaping should not include flammable vegetation, nor plants that require a lot of water. Too much irrigation encourages weeds, which can increase fire hazard—not to mention the scarcity of water resources in southern California. Learn which plants are drought-tolerant and least flammable. When you put “the right plant in the right place,” especially in the first 50–100 feet from a home, you gain the benefits of landscaping without the undue risks. It’s often this vegetation that puts a home most at risk, not the outlying native vegetation.

Being “ready” for wildfire means “hardening” your home or other structure (see immediately below) and creating a fire-safe landscape as described in Chapter 4. It also means ensuring that your home is a safe place for firefighters should they need to help protect it in a wildfire event. A fire engine needs to be able to turn around to leave. If they cannot safely get the engine in and out, that makes your home less defensible. This is in addition to fuel-reduction treatments of at least 15 feet on both sides of the road. There should be plenty of places on the road where vehicles can pass each other, i.e., adequate turnouts.

Firefighters sometimes use the terms “winners” and “losers” (or more frequently, “defendable” and “not defendable”) to distinguish between those houses with defensible space versus those that do not have it. In a 32 County of Los Angeles Fire Department (2009), “Ready! Set! Go! Your Personal Wildfire Action Plan,” p. 4. www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/ReadySetGo/pdf/Ready%20Set%20Go%2009.pdf


http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/ReadySetGo/pdf/Ready%20Set%20Go%2009.pdf

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONlarger emergency situation where many homes are threatened, homes without defensible space may get passed over in favor of protecting those with defensible space, which have a greater chance of survival and offer firefighters a safer environment. If it is too dangerous for firefighters to get in and out of an area, they are instructed not to risk their lives and equipment to attempt to save something that is marginally defensible. If you are ready, then chances are good that your home will be a “winner.”

Recent research indicates that the potential for home ignitions during wildfires, including those of high intensity, principally depends on a home’s fuel characteristics and the heat sources within 100–200 feet adjacent to the home. This relatively limited area that determines home ignition potential can be called the “home ignition zone.” This is a concept introduced by Dr. Jack Cohen33 of the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, a recognized leader in the science of how homes burn. Dr. Cohen’s research of fires from the 1960s to the present reveals that more than 80% of homes with at least 30 feet of defensible space and a fire-resistant roof have survived wildfires.34 Consequently, it’s the work done in the home ignition zone to reduce flammability that can make the difference between a structure surviving a fire and being consumed.

Controlled experiments by Dr. Cohen and many field observations corroborate what we know about the physics of radiative heating by wildfire: because radiative heating decreases as a function of distance from the heat source squared, there is very little additional fire safety to be gained by fuel clearance beyond 100 feet from a structure.35 If a structure is highly resistant to ignition by embers (appropriately constructed), then good clearance in the first 100 feet should allow it to survive a wildfire under most circumstances.

Not to be forgotten is the fact that your house is a potential fuel source. Be conscious of fire in all your actions, from backyard BBQs to weed whacking. Avoid landscaping with flammable plants and regularly remove deal material. Replace wood shake roofs with fire-resistant materials. Don’t forget propane tanks and other fuel-storage areas, which should be sited an appropriate distance from a home. Don’t let your home be part of the problem. Your actions can make a significant difference!

“Hardening” Homes Proactive fire-safety steps should first and primarily focus on the “home ignition zone” described above (see

also Chapter 4 for details). Higher levels of fuel reduction will be concentrated adjacent to structures and along main roads, key ridges, secondary roads, spurs, and other strategic areas. In the Santa Monica Mountains, research and experience have shown that the most effective strategy for residents is to start at their homes, prepare them to sustain a wildfire, and then begin working out from the home in the surrounding vegetation and other fuels (if necessary). This approach is referred to as “from the house out.” Chapter 4 explains what treatments are most appropriate in each of these zones as you move further away from the house.]

Ensuring that your house is constructed (or remodeled) in a fire-safe manner—or “hardened”—is a critical step. This means that it is specifically built or improved to withstand a certain amount of wildfire exposure and survive. It does NOT mean fireproof but rather that you have protected the weakest parts of your home’s vulnerabilities with proven building materials or techniques to resist some heat and flame along with the ember storm that accompanies large wildfires. The law now requires fire-safe construction for all new structures as well as any major remodels of 50% or more square footage in communities in the wildland-urban interface, especially those in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, which includes all of the Santa Monica Mountains.36 Fire-resistant building materials and appropriately designed structures offer the best chance for enduring a wildfire event. While it is easier to construct a new home to a “fire hardened” standard, it is also possible to dramatically improve an existing home’s resistance to wildfire.

It’s important to realize that the actual cause for most homes burning is not the fire front or wall of flames but the presence of wind-carried embers or “firebrands” in combination with sufficient fuel to ignite. This is one of the biggest threats (possibly the greatest threat) to a structure during wildfire. When wildfires rage in extreme conditions they send burning embers miles ahead of them; these so-called firebrands

33 www.fs.fed.us/rm/publications/titles/journals_cohen.html34 Firewise (2001), “Wildfire: Preventing Home Ignitions” video. 19 minutes. www.firewise.org.35 Robert Taylor, National Park Service, personal communication, February 2010.36 California Health and Safety Code, section 13108.5.


http://www.firewise.org/

http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/publications/titles/journals_cohen.html

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONignite new fires. Fire-safety actions and ignition-resistant tactics don’t aim to create a fireproof bunker but rather to “harden” a home against the most likely threat: this ember storm that often accompanies wildfire.

“Harden” means to take steps that will reduce ignition possibilities, such as clearing away flammable material and thinking about places where embers might get stuck or gain entry to the home’s interior (see list below). Pay attention to small details like gaps between boards, vents with air holes, or places where embers can pile up and become glowing beds of coals. Meanwhile, it’s essential also to maintain the surrounding defensible space. Vegetation fuel management must go hand-in-glove with ignition-resistant building construction to maximize the effectiveness of fire loss mitigation measures.

What is a “Hardened” Home?37

ROOFS. A roof is the most vulnerable surface on any structure for embers to land, lodge, and start a fire; this includes roof valleys, open ends of barrel tiles, and rain gutters. Once the roof covering ignites, chances are very good that the rest of the home will follow.38 If you have a shake (wood shingle) roof, your house is more likely to burn down from embers even if they have fire retardant; thus one of your first actions is to replace a wooden roof and wood gutters.

EAVES. Embers gather under open eaves and ignite exposed wood or other combustible material.

VENTS. Embers enter the attic or other concealed space and ignite combustible materials. Vents in eaves and cornices are particularly vulnerable, as are any unscreened vents.

WALLS. Combustible siding or other combustible or overlapping materials provide a surface and crevice for embers to nestle and ignite.

WINDOWS AND DOORS. Embers can enter gaps in doors, including garage doors. Plants or combustible storage near windows can be ignited from embers and generate heat that can break windows and/or melt combustible frames.

BALCONIES AND DECKS. Embers collect in or on combustible surfaces or undersides of decks and balconies, ignite the material, and enter the home through walls or windows.

The top three building features to focus on are roofs, vents, and decks. Replacing those with appropriate materials and having defensible space will greatly enhance a home’s chance of surviving that wildfire when it comes. To harden your home even further, consider protecting it with a residential fire sprinkler system. In addition to extinguishing a fire started by an ember that enters the house, it also protects you and your family 24/7, year-round, from any fire that may start in your home, not just wildfire.39

In California, the most important fire-safe recommendations related to home construction became law in 2003, with updates in 2007. The California WUI Building Standards (and their LA County-specific counterparts) are an evolving set of building requirements designed to be used with defensible space. These building standards are part of the California Building and Fire Codes that all jurisdictions must use. These codes are updated every three years so may change from time to time. One such change is in process right now—the current state codes are being revised effective January 1st, 2011, and will update the WUI Building Standards to keep pace with the latest products, research, and testing. 40

For the latest information on these Standards, see www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/downloads/2007_CBC_Ch7A.pdf and

37 County of Los Angeles Fire Department (2009), “Ready! Set! Go!” p. 5. www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/ReadySetGo/pdf/Ready%20Set%20Go%2009.pdf38 Firewise (2001), “Is Your Home Protected From Wildfire Disaster? A Homeowner’s Guide to Wildfire Retrofit,” p. 9. www.firewise.org/resources/files/wildfr2.pdf. 39 County of Los Angeles Fire Department (2009), “Ready! Set! Go!” p. 5. www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/ReadySetGo/pdf/Ready%20Set%20Go%2009.pdf.40 California Health and Safety Code, section 13108.5.


http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/downloads/2007_CBC_Ch7A.pdf


http://www.firewise.org/resources/files/wildfr2.pdf


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONwww.fire.lacounty.gov/FirePrevention/Malibu_Rebuild_docx/Building_Requirements_Inthe_Very_High_Fire_Hazard_Severity_Zone_9_08.pdf.

There is a growing number of products on the market designed just for wildfire safety. Be sure all fire-safe building products you use carry the State Fire Marshal’s verification seal. Unfortunately, there are people trying to take advantage of spreading fears of wildfire to sell inferior products that claim to meet these standards but do not. These products may not protect your home from wildfire. For a copy of the new “Wildland-Urban Interface Products” handbook to see which products have been approved by the State Fire Marshal, visit: www.osfm.fire.ca.gov/strucfireengineer/pdf/bml/wuiproducts.pdf.

VII. Taking Action in the Santa Monica Mountains to Coexist with Wildfire

Chapter 8 of this CWPP outlines both specific and broad-based actions that can be taken to advance fire safety in the Santa Monica Mountains region. These are focused principally in human communities and around individual homes, where the greatest impact can be made in terms of protecting structures from wildfire. Part II of the CWPP is more specific, considering and recommending locally focused actions for the twenty individual Planning Units, based on input from the community meetings for this plan. These 17 Community Fire Safety Action Plans contain a background description of each area and its various neighborhoods, including the local fire environment, and identify a set of proposed actions that residents and neighborhood organizations can take to make their homes and neighborhoods fire safe.

See Chapter 2 of the CWPP for more on the planning process, and Part II for the individual community action plans.

This section is a brief overview of major features of the action plan, accompanied by a table listing specific actions and directives for advancing the aims of this CWPP. The latter is based on data gathered at community meetings, the research and analysis done for this CWPP, and collaboration with local agency personnel. There is some redundancy with previous sections of this Executive Summary in order to illustrate recommendations and reiterate important points.

Educate And Assist Homeowners To Reduce Urban Fuels And Improve Building Resistance To Wildfire

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan endeavors to show that the most effective wildfire survival strategy in the Santa Monica Mountains is to ensure that homes and the surrounding “home ignition zone” are adequately prepared to survive wildfire.

Chapter 4 details specific actions residents can take around their homes to create a fire-safe landscape while still conserving the surrounding environment. Defensible space is created by reducing fuel connectivity in the zone within 100 feet of a structure—i.e., removing most flammable materials. Hand in hand with reducing urban fuels are efforts to reduce structural ignitability by hardening homes to withstand wildfire passage. Reducing the chance that structures will burn is a fundamental component of any fire safety plan.

Fuel treatments along driveways and road systems should be considered a high priority. The main objective for ingress-egress corridors is to create a defensible perimeter along and adjacent to all roads and driveways to ensure safe evacuation. These access routes are also where a fire would decrease in intensity and provide safer access for firefighters. Roads also can be a potential ignition source for wildfires (from vehicles and people). When treated, they serve important functions as natural fuelbreaks, as well as anchor points for tactical fire-suppression activities. Treatments along driveways and road corridors benefits multiple landowners in the event of a wildfire; thus providing an opportunity for community planning and collaboration.

Throughout the Santa Monica Mountains, key ingress and egress routes are made vulnerable by the presence of hazardous trees along roadways, and this was mentioned in many community meetings. Thus a hazard tree removal/thinning program such as that implemented in Horizon Hills and West Hillside would benefit many neighborhoods where large eucalyptus, pine trees, or palms overhang roads and could quickly block access during a wildfire. Hazardous trees are found scattered throughout neighborhoods, in many instances directly adjacent to homes. In many locations, hazardous trees will need to be removed. In other areas, the trees only need to be thinned, or “limbed up” or “lollipopped.” Hazardous trees were identified at each of the community meetings and


http://www.osfm.fire.ca.gov/strucfireengineer/pdf/bml/wuiproducts.pdf

http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/FirePrevention/Malibu_Rebuild_docx/BUILDING_REQUIREMENTS_INTHE_VERY_HIGH_FIRE_HAZARD_SEVERITY_ZONE_9_08.pdf

http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/FirePrevention/Malibu_Rebuild_docx/BUILDING_REQUIREMENTS_INTHE_VERY_HIGH_FIRE_HAZARD_SEVERITY_ZONE_9_08.pdf

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONtheir locations pinpointed on the maps for each of the Planning Units. Details are included in the Community Fire Safety Action Plans in Part II of this CWPP.

Implementing community chipping programs to dispose of slash material is a good way to clean up areas by working together.

Reduce The Risk Of WildfireSteps can be taken to reduce the possibility of local fires starting and spreading into a wildfire conflagration.

To do this will require commitment and coordination from all residents and stakeholders in the Santa Monica Mountains. For example, heavily loaded power lines blowing down in high winds is a known cause of wildfire here. The cost to bury power lines is prohibitive. However, when compared to home values in many neighborhoods, and the ability to share the cost over a long time period, the benefits become clearer.

Arson is a major risk. Community Arson Watch was started in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1982. There are six teams in place now throughout the area. Every community—especially those bordering wildlands—should have an active arson watch program. For more information, visit www.arsonwatch.com or call 310-455-4244. Several known “party spots” were identified on the community meeting maps throughout the planning area. Patrolling these known areas should be a part of any Arson Watch program.

Enhance Fire ProtectionThere are very few wildland Type III fire engines that are stationed year-round in the Santa Monica

Mountains, yet several neighborhoods prove challenging for structural protection engines. It would be beneficial for most fire stations in the Santa Monica Mountains to have at least one wildland fire engine year round.

Ensuring water supply is critical for successful fire suppression. California’s minimum fire-fighting water requirement for developments that are not on a hydrant system is 2,500 gallons of accessible water. Rural residents ideally would have up to 10,000 gallons of available water for fire protection. Chapter 4 identifies several options for water storage. More water storage and local water conservation measures are vital to an effective wildfire prevention strategy. Several areas within the Santa Monica Mountains are lacking in sufficient water for fire protection.

The information gathered at the community meetings will augment existing information firefighters now use. Locations of pools and gates, and known road issues, as well as high risk and hazard areas can help local and out-of-town firefighters to do their job. Gates can pose a serious obstacle to safe and effective evacuation. Automatic gates that do not open during power outages are especially dangerous. Homeowners need to be educated about the importance of easily passable gates during emergencies.

Roads provide emergency response access to county residents, and it’s necessary to upgrade road access in some areas in advance of crisis events. Where bridges are narrow or unstable, or landslides result in limited passage, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles are slowed in their response. Several areas were identified in the community meetings as needing bridge or road repair work. These are shown on the meeting maps for each Planning Unit; see Part II. Some roads need to be designated as community evacuation routes and built/improved/maintained and signed as such.

Throughout the Planning Area, firefighters and other emergency personnel are faced with the challenge of finding homes quickly and safely during an emergency. Properly signed roads and structure addresses are vital, especially when firefighters are not local. Existing city and county standards must be enforced that require streets and homes to be visibly addressed. These standards mandate that signs be four inches high, with a contrasting backing, and in accordance with the California Building Code.

Develop Evacuation PlansMany neighborhoods in the Santa Monica Mountains have limited evacuation options. Community members

used their local knowledge to identify potential evacuation routes and safe areas on the maps at the 2009–2010 community CWPP meetings. The identified safe areas now need to be reviewed by local law enforcement and fire agencies for potential inclusion as Community Safety Areas and Neighborhood Survival Areas as has been done in Topanga Canyon. (See Fire Safety Action Plans in Part II for specific sites and routes identified by residents.)


http://www.arsonwatch.com/

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONSeveral ideas were generated regarding the most effective ways to communicate evacuation information to

residents. An example project is to GPS the locations and elevations of safe areas, put them and instructions on “pocket card” to distribute to local residents and post on the internet.

Many residents in the Santa Monica Mountains have pets and/or livestock (especially horses). A system of evacuation plans and sites for pets and livestock needs to be developed to address this need. Many shelters will not allow animals other than assistance or service dogs. The Red Cross and Humane Society are two good resources on this subject; see www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/index.html for more information. The new LA County “Emergency Survival Guide” contains excellent information for dealing with horses in an emergency.41

The difference between being prepared for emergencies or not can literally be the difference between life and death. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are “an organization of volunteer emergency workers who have received specific training in basic disaster response skills, and who agree to supplement existing emergency responders in the event of a major disaster.”42 CERT trainings build basic disaster response skills in fire safety, search and rescue, team organizing, and medical operations pertaining to disasters. The skills offered become extremely valuable in situations where professional responders cannot act immediately. All four local governments (LA and Ventura counties, Malibu, and Calabasas) offer CERT trainings. There are CERT teams in place throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. Every neighborhood or homeowner’s association in the Santa Monica Mountains should have at least one certified CERT member.

Law enforcement, fire departments, and related agencies have a well-rehearsed process for communication among first responders. Issues remain regarding how to effectively and rapidly alert residents in the most remote areas. Options need to be explored to improve emergency communication in these areas. Social networking options, such as Facebook and Twitter, while not infallible, are proving their usefulness in rapid and effective communication when normal networks may not be functioning. Using these communication tools should be fully explored.

Several areas were identified that have issues with cellular service. Improvements to those areas would facilitate emergency communications.

Effective evacuation planning depends on residents being prepared. This is especially important for families with small children, and elderly and disabled citizens. Residents in remote areas of the Santa Monica Mountains must be especially prepared for evacuation. To this end, all residents should create a Family Disaster and Evacuation Plan. Information is available from the American Red Cross at: www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-plan.html regarding how to do family disaster planning, and www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-1.html for how to create a family evacuation plan. Additional information is available from the Department of Homeland Security at: www.ready.gov/america/index.html.

In both Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Ready, Set, Go programs provide basic information on emergency preparedness. See Chapter 4 or the fire safety links in Appendix H for links to those documents.

In remote rural neighborhoods or communities, phone trees can be an effective local strategy for disseminating information quickly. Homeowner’s associations, road associations, and local schools are all good venues for setting up a phone tree. Simple steps regarding how to establish a phone tree can be found at: www.ehow.com/how_4325_set-emergency-phone.html.

There are “Reverse 911” programs for all residents in the Santa Monica Mountains. This is a service provided by local governments to call residents in the case of an emergency in their community. Residents are encouraged to register both their home and cellular phone numbers at the following websites: unincorporated Los Angeles County—http://portal.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/alertla; unincorporated Ventura County— http://portal.countyofventura.org/portal/page/portal/cov/emergencies/reverse911/reverse911register, City of Malibu—www.ci.malibu.ca.us/index.cfm/fuseaction/DetailGroup/navid/471/cid/11670/, and City of Calabasas—www.cityofcalabasas.com/departments/PublicSafety/AEN.html.

41 Southern California Association of Governments (2010), www.scag.ca.gov.42 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Emergency_Response_Team.


http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/departments/PublicSafety/AEN.html

http://www.ci.malibu.ca.us/index.cfm/fuseaction/DetailGroup/navid/471/cid/11670/

http://portal.countyofventura.org/portal/page/portal/cov/emergencies/reverse911/reverse911register

http://portal.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/alertla

http://www.ehow.com/how_4325_set-emergency-phone.html

http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html

http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-1.html

http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-plan.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_responder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Emergency_Response_Team

http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/index.html

http://www.scag.ca.gov/

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONPromote General Fire-Safe Education

Many people are enthusiastic to create a fire-safe home once they understand why it is to their advantage. To this end, educational programs targeted at local residents can be very successful. A number of education/information program ideas were proposed by community members through this CWPP process.

Educational programs in the local schools are a great way to get the word out about fire safety and emergency preparedness. The National Park Service has developed a local curriculum, “Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology,”43 which can be downloaded at www.nps.gov/samo/forteachers/upload/FireEcologyManualsm.pdf. Community projects such as fire-safety education signs created by local schoolchildren can also be very effective. These informative signs can be placed in highly trafficked hazard areas throughout the community to educate residents and visitors regarding the potential fire risks associated with their activities.

The Santa Monica Mountains experience large influxes of tourists visiting the area each year, especially during fire season. These visitors often do not have experience with fire in the wildland-urban interface. Educational programs are needed targeting the tourism, development, and real estate industries, as well as their clients.

Integrate Fire Safety And Wildlands Conservation EffortsMalibu Creek is home to one of the last remaining runs of coastal steelhead and lamprey eel in southern

California. Wildfire and its associated prevention and suppression activities can quickly threaten the viability of these populations. Therefore, these activities need to be done with an awareness of their potential impact on threatened populations. Canopy cover changes associated with riparian vegetation losses can increase water temperatures during already warm, stressful summer conditions, with resulting algal spikes and reduced debris providing food for macro-invertebrates.

The Santa Monica Mountains are home to populations of bobcats and mountain lions who may be limited in their ability to leave an area on fire because of fragmented habitat and movement barriers.

Finally, in addition to providing many important benefits to the local ecosystems, native oak trees are a proven heat and ember sink during wildfire, meaning that a large tree’s branches are capable of catching and absorbing or neutralizing flying embers without being consumed themselves. Planting of oaks throughout the Santa Monica Mountains would provide many benefits.

Assess Risks At The Local LevelThis CWPP focuses on wildfire prevention and community fire safety at the scale of the Santa Monica

Mountains. More intensive analysis is needed at the local level for all the communities included in this CWPP. The Community Fire Safety Action Plans found in Part II are a beginning for that local analysis. These documents can be used by local Fire Safe Councils and homeowner’s associations to do a more detailed neighborhood or community-level risk assessment. A community mapping process similar to that used in the planning stages for this CWPP could be employed at that level, as has already been undertaken by residents in the PO Tract area of Topanga Canyon. Appendix B has detailed instructions for the mapping exercise.

Working TogetherThe existence of the Fire Safe Councils (see Chapter 1) and related community-based organizations in the

Santa Monica Mountains is a critical element in collaboratively creating and implementing fire-safe communities here. These FSCs and associated community organizations such as homeowner’s associations will ultimately determine the effectiveness and success of this plan. Hence, ongoing support for and participation in local Fire Safe Councils is fundamental both for their development and for the success of local fire-safety efforts. The Community Fire Safety Action Plans developed for the CWPP Planning Units (see Part II) can function as the basis for an operating plan for FSCs and related groups.

The Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Alliance is a cooperative group of agencies, municipalities, communities, and private citizens who are dedicated to creating fire-safe solutions for the Santa Monica

43 National Parks Labs (July 2001), Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology, National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. www.nps.gov/samo/forteachers/upload/FireEcologyManualsm.pdf.


http://www.nps.gov/samo/forteachers/upload/FireEcologyManualsm.pdf

http://www.nps.gov/samo/forteachers/upload/FireEcologyManualsm.pdf

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONMountains. As a collaborative group, they are well positioned to provide leadership for many of the efforts outlined in this CWPP, especially those concerning public-private communications and education. (See Chapter 6 for details.)

The SMM Fire Safe Alliance has recently produced A Road Map to Fire Safety: How to Create Defensible Space in the Santa Monica Mountains.44 This document can be used as a basis for a community fire-safety educational program.

Santa Monica Mountains Community Wildfire Action PlanThe table below (from Chapter 8) organizes various ideas and directives for improving fire safety in the Santa

Monica Mountains. Actions are grouped under larger work and education categories. Each includes the lead organizations and/or Plan Partners to implement each item. Action items are then ranked in terms of S—short (one to two years), M—medium (two to five years), L—long (five to ten years), or O—ongoing implementation priority, as well as ease of implementation. Note: Actions that are more specific to a particular neighborhood, are generally listed in the Fire Safety Action Plans in Part II of this CWPP.

In an ideal world, all these action items would be implemented expeditiously. Although it is the intention of CWPP authors and signers that all the action items in this document be implemented as so designated, implementation will need to be carried out subject to the availability of funds and other resources.

Figure 2. Santa Monica Mountains Action Plan Summary

Category Action ItemCREATING FIRE SAFE

COMMUNITIES: EMPOWERING

RESIDENTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Alliance leads fire-prevention efforts in this region to focus on a “from the house out” strategy, empowering residents to create fire-safe communities.

FIRE SAFE COUNCILS Public and private-sector organizations, agencies, and individuals work with local FSCs to develop ongoing financial and in-kind support for FSC activities and development. OFSCs, HOAs, and other community-based organizations lead community efforts to implement the proposed projects in the Community Fire Safety Action Plans in this CWPP Part Two. S, OFSCs work with members and local, state, and federal agency partners to develop local fire-safety strategic plans, using these Community Fire Safety Action Plans as a basis. These plans should include identification of an appropriate long-term management structure and funding sources, as well as priority wildfire risk and hazard-reduction projects. S, MLocal FSCs work with Plan Partners to develop and implement a Strategic Planning Matrix to track project implementation. S, O, California Fire Safe Council, LA County Fire Department Forestry Division, National Park Service, and other interested partners continue to collaborate to foster new Fire Safe Councils in the Santa Monica Mountains. O

HARDENING HOMES TO SURVIVE WILDFIRE—REDUCING

STRUCTURAL IGNITABILITY

44 www.fire.lacounty.gov/Forestry/RoadMaptoFireSafety.pdf


http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/Forestry/RoadMaptoFireSafety.pdf

INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONCategory Action Item

IMPLEMENTING WUI BUILDING STANDARDS

SMM Fire Safe Alliance, FSCs, homeowner’s associations, and community development/planning departments work with Santa Monica Mountains residents to educate them on current WUI building standards and the products approved by the State Fire Marshal’s office. SSMM Fire Safe Alliance works with stakeholders and FSCs to create and implement educational programs on hardening homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, including the possibility of a WUI building products fair. SFSCs and homeowner’s associations work with State Fire Marshal-approved WUI building product vendors to create wholesale purchases and installation of products to harden homes at the neighborhood scale. S

REDUCING URBAN FUELS

REDUCING FUELS AROUND HOMES AND OTHER

STRUCTURES

Santa Monica Mountains residents implement Best Management Practices to reduce urban fuels within the home ignition zone around all structures, and on all residential parcels. S, O

SMM Fire Safe Alliance and Fire Safe Councils provide information and resources to help residents reduce urban fuels around their homes and in their neighborhoods. S, SMM FSA, RCDSMM, UCCE and others providing community fire safety education include conservation objectives in educational programs, including promoting xeriscaping options for conserving water. OSMM Fire Safe Alliance, Fire Safe Councils, homeowner’s associations, senior centers, schools, and other community and social service organizations develop programs to reduce urban fuels for elderly and disabled residents who are not able to do this for themselves. S, OUCCE conduct workshops to train homeowners, fire department clearance inspectors, vegetation management contractors, land managers, landscape designers and architects, and insurance inspectors in techniques for low-impact, sustainable fire-risk reduction. SAll governmental properties within the Santa Monica Mountains be maintained as models for fuel reduction in the home ignition zone, based on the Conservation Principles and Best Management Practices outlined in this CWPP. M, OSMM Fire Safe Alliance, Fire Safe Councils, and homeowner’s associations work with community development/planning departments and the local insurance industry to educate the industry on appropriate local fuel reduction practices, and to provide materials for them to share with policyholders. M

HAZARD TREE REMOVAL PROGRAM

Local Fire Safe Councils and homeowner’s associations work with SMM Fire Safe Alliance partners to develop and implement neighborhood-scale hazardous tree removal programs for all communities in the Santa Monica Mountains. S, M

COMMUNITY CHIPPING PROGRAM

Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Alliance explores the possibility of implementing a community chipper program in the Santa Monica Mountains, in partnership with local Fire Safe Councils and Homeowner’s Associations. S (M?)

ASSESSING RISKS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Fire agencies, and state and federal land management agencies work with Fire Safe Councils and homeowner’s associations to perform risk assessments within their neighborhoods and communities. M

REDUCING THE RISK OF WILDFIRE

Homeowner’s associations, Fire Safe Councils, and other community-based organizations ensure there is an active Arson Watch program for their neighborhood. S

Arson Watch coordinate with National Park Service to get copies of CWPP maps identifying local wildfire risk and hazard areas. S SMM Fire Safe Alliance explore funding options for additional equipment and vehicles for Arson Watch. M



Public land managers enhance public education efforts regarding fire danger on public lands, do not allow campfires in backcountry locations with very strict enforcement and fines, and close all recreation areas during Red Flag conditions. M, OSMM FSA, local governments, and utilities explore options to bury power lines wherever possible, including local assessment fee to share costs with neighboring residents. L

ENHANCING FIRE PROTECTION

RESOURCES FOR FIRE PROTECTION

SMMFSA work with Fire Chiefs and MRCA to explore procurement of additional Type III wildland fire engines for the stations in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Ventura County Fire Department maintains station #33 in Lake Sherwood. Fire protection agencies coordinate with National Park Service to get data generated from community meetings. S

WATER Local Fire Safe Councils, RCDs, watershed councils, and other interested partners educate rural residents on the needs and benefits of water storage. SSanta Monica Mountains residents with pools equip them with a generator and pump for emergency use, and put up a pool sign near property address sign (see Chapter 4 for details).Fire departments, water providers, and local government collaborate with FSCs, HOAs, and other community groups to clearly mark fire hydrants throughout the Santa Monica Mountains, and cooperatively keep them cleared. M, OFire departments, water providers, and local government explore providing back-up power generation at key water tank locations throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. MFire departments, water providers, and local government explore the following water supply issues as identified at the community meetings: M

ROADS Counties and cities Public Works Departments work with Fire Chiefs, law enforcement, Caltrans, and California Highway Patrol to identify road ingress and egress possibilities that increase emergency response times. SCounties and cities Public Works Departments work with Caltrans, local transport agency/coalition, and interested partners to secure funding and other resources to repair priority ingress and egress sites. OLaw Enforcement, Fire Chiefs, Fire Safe Councils, and homeowner’s associations initiate informational programs to educate residents about the importance of easily passable gates during emergencies. S

SIGNAGE OF ROADS AND STRUCTURES

(ADDRESSING)

Law enforcement, fire departments, counties, and cities collaborate to enforce existing signage requirements for streets and residences. O

Law enforcement, SMM Fire Safe Alliance, Fire Safe Councils, and homeowner’s associations explore incentives for private road and address signage conformance, including public education. M

ENSURING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE

EVACUATION DEVELOPING EVACUATION

ROUTES AND SITESCounties and cities Office of Emergency Services (OES), law enforcement, Caltrans, CHP, Red Cross, Fire Chiefs, and Fire Safe Councils collaborate to develop detailed evacuation plans and update them as needed, using the information generated in this plan as a basis for community-identified routes and safe areas. S



Counties and cities OES, law enforcement, Caltrans, CHP, Red Cross, Fire Chiefs, and Fire Safe Councils review the community-identified information generated through this planning process for development as potential Community Safety Areas or Neighborhood Survival Areas. SCounties and cities OES, law enforcement, Caltrans, CHP, Red Cross, Fire Chiefs, Fire Safe Councils, social services agencies, and senior centers develop and/or upgrade appropriate sites identified at community meetings to function as evacuation sites and/or disaster centers during emergency situations. MCounties and cities OES, law enforcement, Caltrans, CHP, Red Cross, Fire Chiefs, Fire Safe Councils, and senior centers develop and distribute evacuation-planning materials for all areas within the Santa Monica Mountains to educate residents on evacuation options in their communities. OCounties and cities social services agencies, OES, senior centers, family resource centers, law enforcement, Fire Chiefs, Red Cross, Fire Safe Councils, and other interested local, state, and federal agencies identify leadership and resources to develop evacuation programs for vulnerable populations. MCounties and cities OES, law enforcement, Caltrans, Fire Chiefs, local transport agency/coalition, and Fire Safe Councils collaborate to explore the community-identified evacuation routes: M

EVACUATION PLANS FOR PETS AND LIVESTOCK

Fire Safe Councils work with Plan Partners, Red Cross, Humane Society, and local veterinarians to identify existing options for local pet and livestock emergency evacuation. Work through local feed stores, veterinarians, boarding facilities, and animal associations to educate residents on options. MHorse owners collaborate to develop local horse evacuation plans, based on the model currently being developed in Topanga Canyon. S

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY

PREPAREDNESS

Counties and cities OES work with interested communities to develop new or enhance existing CERT programs. M

Homeowner’s associations and Fire Safe Councils contact their local OES office to learn how to participate in local CERT programs. S

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

SMM Fire Safe Alliance, law enforcement, fire agencies, Fire Safe Councils, and homeowner’s associations collaborate to explore additional measures for alerting residents to pending emergencies.

RESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Santa Monica Mountains residents be prepared for wildfire and other emergencies by creating family disaster and evacuation plans. S, O

Residents in remote rural areas consider storing their most valuable items in a fire-safe urban area during extreme fire weather conditions. S, OFire Safe Councils and homeowner’s associations organize emergency phone trees in their neighborhoods. SSanta Monica Mountains residents register their cellular phones with their local Reverse 911 emergency notification system. SCounties and cities OES, law enforcement, Fire Chiefs, Fire Safe Councils, Red Cross, senior centers, and family resource centers conduct disaster preparedness and emergency response drills, starting with the highest-risk communities,45 throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. S, O

SHELTERING IN PLACE OES and Red Cross work with Fire Safe Councils, Fire Agencies, and law enforcement to develop local safety information in the event that citizens are unable to evacuate. M

45 As identified in Chapter 7.



PROMOTING FIRE-SAFE EDUCATION

SMMFSA reviews and evaluates community ideas regarding fire safety education and develops a strategic plan for most effectively educating Santa Monica Mountains residents.Local Fire Safe Councils work with the SMM Fire Safe Alliance, insurance industry, local businesses, local media outlets, and others to implement an area-wide community fire-safety education program, including public service announcements in all local media. S

FIRE-SAFETY EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

Fire Safe Councils work with agencies and school districts to implement fire-safety curricula in all grade levels throughout the area, in conjunction with community educational projects. M

FIRE-SAFETY EDUCATION FOR NEW RESIDENTS AND

TOURISTS

Fire Safe Council, visitor information centers, SMM Fire Safe Alliance, Chamber of Commerce, and local governments develop fire-safety educational programs for local tourism industries. M

Fire Safe Councils, SMM Fire Safe Alliance, and local governments develop fire-safety educational programs for real estate and development industries. M

INTEGRATING COMMUNITY FIRE

SAFETY INTO LOCAL POLICIES

SMM Fire Safe Alliance and other relevant partners work together to ensure integration among planning efforts in the Santa Monica Mountains that could affect the area’s long-term fire safety, including at the community planning and public information levels. S, O

Local governments explore stricter enforcement standards for reduction of urban fuels, including dedicated departments for educating residents and implementing defensible space around all structures. Local governments discourage planting of non-native hazardous trees and incentive programs for removal of existing ones. MSMMFSA work with local governments to develop and implement strict policies governing maintenance of any evacuation routes in the Santa Monica Mountains to ensure they are free of any obstructions. SSMMFSA contacts Google, Yahoo, Mapquest and others to correct errors in road and address information in the Santa Monicas, for areas identified at community meetings (e.g. Yellow Hill Road, Corral??, where else?)County develops mandatory, enforceable disclosure regulations for all local real estate transactions regarding the wildfire risks and hazards identified in this CWPP. M

INTEGRATING FIRE SAFETY AND

CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Land managers collaborate to remove arundo along riparian corridors to reduce impacts to stream banks during wildfire. M

Fire agencies collaborate with state and federal land managers to keep PHOS-CHeK (a flame-retardant substance) out of critical watersheds as much as possible. MLand managers work with fire agencies after fires to minimize erosion potential to local streams. Bulldozed and handcrew-built fuelbreaks should be rehabbed in watersheds with endangered fish species. Sediment can smother critical spawning areas. OLand managers explore options for wildlife corridors, especially in the Malibu Canyon area. MAll property owners and land managers in the Santa Monica Mountains plant native oaks trees to serve as heat and ember sinks, as well as their myriad ecosystem functions. O

DESIGNATION OF WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE AREAS

Federal agencies accept CWPP WUI designations. S,



DESIGNATION OF COMMUNITIES AT

RISK

Los Angeles County Fire Department adds the following Santa Monica Mountains communities to the Communities at Risk list: S, Kanan, Las Flores/Rambla, Las Virgenes Canyon Corridor, Latigo Canyon, Lost Hills, Malibou Lake, Malibou Lakeside, Stokes Canyon, Sycamore CanyonVentura County Fire Department adds the following Santa Monica Mountains communities to the Communities at Risk list: S, Hidden Valley/Lake Sherwood/Carlisle Canyon, Yerba Buena Canyon Area (including Pacific View, Cotharin, Yellow Hill)

FACILITATING SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS FIRE SAFETY IN THE

LONG TERM

FSCs work with NPS, RCDs, NRCS, and others to develop a long-term ecological monitoring program to track the effects of project activities on ecological processes and functions. M

Fire Safe Councils use the Fire Safety Action Plans and the Strategic Planning Matrix from this CWPP to prioritize and track existing and future projects at the local level.All plan signatories review the Santa Monica Mountains CWPP at least every five years and update it as needed, using a collaborative public process. M

VIII. Facilitating Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safety in the Long Term

As described in Chapter 9, project and plan monitoring is an integral element to the long-term success of this plan. Monitoring strategies need to be developed early in the process to ensure useful data collection.

Finally, no plan is ever permanent. This plan was written in 2010 based on current conditions and best available information. The fields of fire safety and fire science are rapidly changing. It is likely that new developments will occur in coming years. Therefore, it will be important to review this plan at least every five years and update it as needed. This can be done as an Appendix to this document.

IX. Organization of the CWPP

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan is written as a resource guide for Santa Monica Mountains residents. Detailed information is included throughout to provide residents with the background information they will need now or in the future to make informed decisions regarding improving fire safety where they live.

The CWPP is organized into four parts. Part I contains nine chapters with Santa Monica Mountains fire ecology background and suggested actions to create safer zones around homes and other structures. Part II offers seventeen Community Fire Safety Action Plans based on 20 Planning Units within the Santa Monica Mountains. Part III has ten appendices with more detailed or background information, and Part IV has three reference sections, including a glossary of terms used throughout this document. The content and purpose of each section are described below.

Area residents reading this plan are likely to be interested in the general information found in Part I, then in the more specific ideas and plans generated for their neighborhood. To learn which Planning Unit includes your home, see the map in Chapter 2.

Living with Wildfire: Santa Monica Mountains CWPP Executive Summary is a review of key points of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, including the results of the risk assessment and action plan efforts.

Part I: Chapters: Planning for Wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains

Chapter 1 – Plan Introduction is an introduction to the document and to the Santa Monica Mountains. Parts of this chapter are intended for readers who may be new to the area.

Chapter 2 – Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Planning Process summarizes this CWPP’s public process, outlining the steps taken to meet the collaboration requirements of a CWPP.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONChapter 3 – Wildfire: Current Environment and Behavior introduces and summarizes wildfire concepts

and issues in the Santa Monica Mountains. A basic introduction to fire science is provided for residents who want to better understand it.

Chapter 4 – Community Fire Safety Begins at Home describes the Home Ignition Zone and what local residents can do to help ensure that their families, homes, and properties are best prepared to survive wildfire.

Chapter 5 – Fire Ecology and Management of Santa Monica Mountains Vegetation Types summarizes the fire ecology specific to each of the dominant vegetation types, along with conservation and fuel management considerations. It discusses fuel-reduction treatments that can be used to reduce fire hazard within each vegetation type, as well as the role of fire in shaping the assemblage of plants, the historical and current nature of the fire regime, and the common vegetative adaptations to fire.

Chapter 6 – Santa Monica Mountains Community Context describes the social, political, and community-planning context, including a discussion of land ownership and management. This section also summarizes current fire protection resources and issues, and identifies needs of existing fire protection agencies. This chapter was written to facilitate better integration of wildfire issues into the area’s existing planning and land management.

Chapter 7 – Risk Assessment: Identifying and Evaluating Assets at Risk summarizes assets (both human and natural) at risk from potential fire, and the community risk assessment process and results.

Chapter 8 – Action Plan identifies activities to reduce risks and hazards from wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Chapter 9 – Facilitating Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safety in the Long Term discusses monitoring and long-term steps to maintain and update this CWPP.

Part II: Community Fire Safety Action Plans

The Community Fire Safety Action Plans contain a summary of the data and the maps gathered from community meetings and organized by the 20 Planning Units. These documents include a short summary of the issues in each unit and a list of priority actions to be taken by local residents. These Community Action Plans are written for local organizations and residents to use to increase fire safety in their neighborhoods and local communities.

Part III: Appendices

Appendix A – Community Meeting Participants is a list of residents and others who attended the 2009-2010 community meetings.

Appendix B – Mapping Exercise Instructions outlines the directions given to community members to carry out the mapping exercise, both in the meetings as well as for the online exercise.

Appendix C – Outreach Efforts Table summarizes the outreach activities carried out to publicize the CWPP process, including outreach through radio, local newspapers, and internet.

Appendix D – Community Review Committee and Internal Reviewers lists members of the community and agency partners who participated in the Internal Review of draft CWPP documents.

Appendix E – Fire History Data contains the information on which the fire history maps in Chapter 3 are based.

Appendix F - Threatened and Endangered Species Tables summarize the threatened and endangered species that inhabit the planning area.

Appendix G - Environmental Compliance Information includes information and best practices on how to comply with environmental regulations when undertaking fuel reduction activities.

Appendix H – Fire Safety Information is a set of relevant Internet links and other background documents.Appendix I – Local Fire Safety Regulations lists and describes Los Angeles and Ventura County’s fire

safety codes and regulations as they pertain to brush clearance and building standards.Appendix J – GIS Metadata contains a description of maps created and sources used.


INTERNAL DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTIONPart IV: References

Reference I – Glossary defines the terms used in this Plan. Upon first appearance within the text, glossary terms are italicized.

Reference II – Internet Links for Further Information provides sources for more detail on topics discussed throughout this Plan.

Reference III – Literature Cited provides references for documents, books, and other sources cited throughout this Plan.


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